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SENATE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to  
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learn of the death of
Roy Osbourne Carroll, Jr. of Morgan Park; 
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and

 
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    WHEREAS, Roy Osbourne Carroll, Jr. was born on October 9, 
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1931; his parents were Roy O. and Artie Mae Carroll; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Roy Osbourne Carroll, Jr. grew up in Morgan Park, 
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where he completed his primary and secondary education in the 
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public school system; he accepted Christ at an early age, 
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attending Arnett Chapel AME Church with his family; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Roy Osbourne Carroll, Jr. ran track during his 
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years at Morgan Park High School; he met his future wife, 
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Theresa Bell, while in school, but she wasn't interested in him 
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because of his rough associates; after high school, he began 
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attending Wilson Jr. College and was taking a pre-med course to 
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be a doctor when he quit school and went into the U.S. Army 
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instead, serving in Korea for 12 months after attending jump 
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school in Ft. Benning, Georgia; after returning to the U.S., he 
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was assigned to a chemical unit in Ft. Ord, California, where 
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his job was to fly over ground zero in the desert in a 
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helicopter holding a Geiger counter to determine the amount of 
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radiation present; and

 
 


 






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    WHEREAS, After Roy Osbourne Carroll, Jr. was discharged 
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from  the U.S. Army, he attended a television school under the 
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GI Bill; impressed by his new-found drive to succeed, Roy and  
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Theresa  married in 1955; together, they had three children, 
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Cynthia (Asabi), Roy III (Rocki), and Kimberly; after his 
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marriage, he and his father-in-law opened a radio and 
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television repair shop, dealing in Philco products; the shop 
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then evolved into a record shop, subsequently becoming a video 
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rental store;  in the late 1980s, the family shop changed again 
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as their eldest daughter became interested in black awareness; 
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inspired by this new awareness, the store began selling 
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black-authored books and African goods; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Upon his departure from the U.S. Army, Roy 
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Osbourne Carroll, Jr. took the exams for both the Park District 
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Police and the Fire Department while employed at the Board of 
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Education's maintenance department; after passing both exams, 
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he decided to work at the Fire Department, becoming one of the 
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first African-Americans hired for the Fire Department in April 
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of 1962;  his first assignment was E16; he then worked at E66 
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from August of 1965 until it went out of service, when he went 
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to E45 at 46th and Cottage Grove; he then went back to E16, 
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where he served as a recruiter, going to churches trying to get 
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African-Americans to join the Fire Department; at one time, he 
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served as the physical education instructor, going to different 
 


 






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houses in the Battalion;  in 1982, he was promoted to the rank 
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of Lieutenant and relocated to the Fire Prevention Bureau; 
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while serving at the Bureau, he met Francisco de La Cerna, who 
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promoted him to the position of Public Assembly Inspector, 
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where he inspected any place that held over 300 people;  upon 
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making the Captain's list in 1991, he was assigned to the West 
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Side Fire Prevention Bureau, where he served as the Assistant 
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Bureau Commander until his retirement in 1996; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Roy Osbourne Carroll, Jr.  was honored by the 
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Honorable Jesse Jackson Jr. by being placed in the 
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Congressional Record on October 31, 1997; in addition to being 
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involved in both Million Man Marches, Mr. Carroll has served as 
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the Chairman of the 111th St. Business Association; he was the 
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founder of the 'Reclaiming the Drum' Festival in Morgan Park; 
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he was a member of Morgan Park Community Roots Organization, a 
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founding member of the Old Tymers Organization of retired 
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firefighters and paramedics, a member of the Tuesday Morning 
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Breakfast Club, a founding member of Umoja Business Alliance, 
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and an organizer of the satellite distribution market for the 
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Southern Black Farmers' Network; he served as Senior 
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Vice-Commander of Captain John Daniel's VFW Post #111 and as 
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griot of Safari Marketplace's empowerment group of 
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manufacturers, designers, and distributors; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Roy Osbourne Carroll, Jr. considered his yard to 
 


 






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be his pride and joy;  he could often be found in the yard, 
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playing jazz music while tinkering with his koi fish pond or 
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cutting the grass, yet always ready to take a break and impart 
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some history and knowledge to all who would listen;  he was the 
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surrogate brother, father, and uncle to many in the community;  
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his incredible grasp of Morgan Park facts, notables, and 
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folklore earned him  the nickname of "Mayor of Morgan Park"; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Roy Osbourne Carroll, Jr. will be greatly missed 
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by all who knew and loved him, including his loving wife of 52 
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years, Theresa; his children, Asabi (Larry Station, Jr.), Roy 
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III, and Kimberly (Roger Sowell); his grandchildren, Imani 
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Station, Larry Station III, Nia Station, Jon Powell, and Brandi 
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Powell; his great-grandchildren, Lashanti Powell and Olivia 
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Powell; his sister, Marilyn Haynes; his three nieces and two 
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nephews; and his many  other relatives, extended family members, 
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and friends; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL 
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ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with 
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his family and friends, the passing of Roy Osbourne Carroll, 
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Jr.; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the family of Roy Osbourne Carroll, Jr. as an 
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expression of our sympathy.